Cricket Australia has released the full 44-match schedule for KFC BBL|16, running from 12 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. The season opens with the league’s first overseas fixture as Melbourne Renegades face Perth Scorchers in Chennai, before Christmas Eve cricket returns at Junction Oval for the first time in four years. Double-headers close the regular season on 16-17 January, with the final scheduled for Australia Day.
BBL 2026-27 Season 16 Full Match Schedule
The league phase features 40 matches across 37 days with games every night except Christmas Day. All times listed are in AEDT.
| Match | Date | Teams | Venue | Time (AEDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat 12 Dec | Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 8:10 PM |
| 2 | Tue 15 Dec | Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers | The Gabba | 7:15 PM |
| 3 | Wed 16 Dec | Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers | Corroboree Group Oval, Manuka | 7:15 PM |
| 4 | Thu 17 Dec | Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat | Ninja Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 5 | Fri 18 Dec | Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers | MCG | 7:15 PM |
| 6 | Sat 19 Dec | Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers | ENGIE Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 7 | Sun 20 Dec | Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes | Optus Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 8 | Mon 21 Dec | Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat | Junction Oval | 7:15 PM |
| 9 | Tue 22 Dec | Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades | SCG | 7:15 PM |
| 10 | Wed 23 Dec | Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder | Adelaide Oval | 7:15 PM |
| 11 | Thu 24 Dec | Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes | Junction Oval | 7:15 PM |
| 12 | Sat 26 Dec | Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat | SCG | 6:05 PM |
| 13 | Sat 26 Dec | Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars | Optus Stadium | 9:15 PM |
| 14 | Sun 27 Dec | Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades | ENGIE Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 15 | Mon 28 Dec | Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers | The Gabba | 7:15 PM |
| 16 | Tue 29 Dec | Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars | Ninja Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 17 | Wed 30 Dec | Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder | Optus Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 18 | Thu 31 Dec | Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars | Adelaide Oval | 7:15 PM |
| 19 | Fri 1 Jan | Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers | MCG | 4:00 PM |
| 20 | Fri 1 Jan | Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes | The Gabba | 7:15 PM |
| 21 | Sat 2 Jan | Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers | ENGIE Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 22 | Sun 3 Jan | Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers | Corroboree Group Oval, Manuka | 7:15 PM |
| 23 | Mon 4 Jan | Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades | MCG | 6:05 PM |
| 24 | Mon 4 Jan | Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat | Optus Stadium | 9:15 PM |
| 25 | Tue 5 Jan | Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder | Ninja Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 26 | Wed 6 Jan | Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades | Adelaide Oval | 7:15 PM |
| 27 | Thu 7 Jan | Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers | MCG | 7:15 PM |
| 28 | Fri 8 Jan | Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers | The Gabba | 7:15 PM |
| 29 | Sat 9 Jan | Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers | University of Tasmania Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 30 | Sun 10 Jan | Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers | SCG | 2:10 PM |
| 31 | Sun 10 Jan | Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat | Junction Oval | 7:15 PM |
| 32 | Mon 11 Jan | Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars | Corroboree Group Oval, Manuka | 7:15 PM |
| 33 | Tue 12 Jan | Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes | Adelaide Oval | 7:15 PM |
| 34 | Wed 13 Jan | Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades | Optus Stadium | 7:15 PM |
| 35 | Thu 14 Jan | Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes | MCG | 7:15 PM |
| 36 | Fri 15 Jan | Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder | SCG | 7:15 PM |
| 37 | Sat 16 Jan | Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers | Adelaide Oval | 4:00 PM |
| 38 | Sat 16 Jan | Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars | MCG | 7:15 PM |
| 39 | Sun 17 Jan | Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers | Ninja Stadium | 1:40 PM |
| 40 | Sun 17 Jan | Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder | The Gabba | 7:15 PM |
The top four teams at the end of the league phase advance to a four-match finals series. The team finishing first earns two chances to reach the final through the Qualifier and, if needed, the Challenger. The third and fourth-placed teams meet in the Knockout, with the loser eliminated. A reserve day is available for the Final.
| Match | Date | Format | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifier | Tue 19 Jan 2027 | 1st vs 2nd | TBC |
| Knockout | Wed 20 Jan 2027 | 3rd vs 4th | TBC |
| Challenger | Sat 23 Jan 2027 | Qualifier loser vs Knockout winner | TBC |
| BBL | 16 Final | Tue 26 Jan 2027 | Qualifier winner vs Challenger winner |
BBL 2026-27 Season 16 Teams and Home Venues
All eight franchises return for Season 16, though the Melbourne landscape has changed significantly. Cricket Victoria announced in June 2026 that the Stars and Renegades will merge administrations into a single entity, with the combined team expected to play under a new Melbourne brand in the future. Cricket Victoria plans to sell its second BBL licence entirely to a private investor, following the model used in The Hundred franchise sales in England.
The rebranding has been postponed for the 2026-27 season due to the extended timeline on Cricket Australia’s broader privatisation vote. Victoria has applied to trademark three potential new names for the merged team, including Rangers, Blazers and Magic, but both clubs will compete under their existing names for now. The Renegades will operate under a temporary administration led by former Stars general manager Max Abbott, with Cameron White continuing as men’s coach.
The Renegades ended a 15-year association with Marvel Stadium ahead of this season and will play two home matches each at the MCG and Junction Oval, alongside the Chennai opener. Both Melbourne derbies will be held at the MCG on 4 January and 16 January, while nine BBL matches will be staged in Melbourne across the season, up from seven last summer.
| Team | Home Venue | City | BBL Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Scorchers | Optus Stadium | Perth | 6 |
| Sydney Sixers | SCG | Sydney | 3 |
| Brisbane Heat | The Gabba | Brisbane | 2 |
| Sydney Thunder | ENGIE Stadium | Sydney | 1 |
| Adelaide Strikers | Adelaide Oval | Adelaide | 1 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | Ninja Stadium | Hobart | 1 |
| Melbourne Renegades | MCG, Junction Oval | Melbourne | 1 |
| Melbourne Stars | MCG | Melbourne | 0 |
BBL|16 Opens on Indian Soil for the First Time in the League’s 16-Season History
BBL Season 16 arrives as the most significant edition in the competition’s history. The Chennai opener at Chepauk makes the Big Bash the first foreign T20 league to stage a match on Indian soil, part of a broader ‘G’day Namaste’ festival strengthening sporting ties between the two nations.
Perth Scorchers enter chasing a seventh consecutive title after their sixth in January 2026, with Australian Test stars unlikely to feature this summer due to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India.
